Escalation in Syria - 06/19/2017

No
More Games: Russia Vows to Track and Target Any US Aircraft 'West of
the Euphrates'

Moscow
sends a crystal-clear message to Washington: The games in Syria are
over

19
June, 2017

We
didn't believe it at first, but it's true: Russia's Defense Ministry
says it will target any aircraft from the US-led coalition
flying west of the Euphrates.

“In
the areas of combat missions of Russian air fleet in Syrian skies,
any airborne objects, including aircraft and unmanned vehicles of the
[US-led] international coalition, located to the west of the
Euphrates River, will be tracked by Russian ground and air defense
forces as air targets,” the
Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

The
announcement comes after the US shot down a Syrian jet near
Raqqa. Washington says the Syrian jet had dropped bombs
near US-backed forces, but Damascus insists the plane was downed
while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.

We
hope Washington gets the memo this time. Because it doesn't sound
like Russia is bluffing.

Russian
military halts Syria sky incident prevention interactions with US as
of June 19 – Moscow

The
Russian Defense Ministry announced it is halting cooperation with its
US counterparts in the framework of the Memorandum on the Prevention
of Incidents and Ensuring Air Safety in Syria following the
coalition’s downing of a Syrian warplane.

The
ministry has demanded a thorough investigation by the US military
command into the incident with the Syrian government military jet,
with the results to be shared with the Russian side.

“In
the areas of combat missions of Russian air fleet in Syrian skies,
any airborne objects, including aircraft and unmanned vehicles of the
[US-led] international coalition, located to the west of the
Euphrates River, will be tracked by Russian ground and air defense
forces as air targets,” the
Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

Downing
the military jet within Syrian airspace “cynically” violates
the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russian military said.

The
actions of the US Air Force are in fact “military
aggression”against
Syria, the statement adds.

The
ministry emphasized that Russian warplanes were on a mission in
Syrian airspace during the US-led coalition’s attack on the Syrian
Su-22, while the coalition failed to use the communication line to
prevent an incident.

“The
command of the coalition forces did not use the existing
communication channel between the air commands of Al Udeid Airbase
(in Qatar) and the Khmeimim Airbase to prevent incidents in Syrian
airspace.”

The
ministry considers the move “a
conscious failure to comply with the obligations under the Memorandum
on the Prevention of Incidents and Ensuring Air Safety in Syria,” and
is thus halting cooperation with the US within the memorandum
framework as of June 19, the statement concluded.

Earlier
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov condemned the attack,
branding it an act of aggression which actually helped the terrorists
the US is fighting against.

The
US-led coalition downed the
Syrian government warplane on Sunday. At the moment of the attack the
jet was carrying out operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) some 40km from Raqqa, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The pilot ejected from the plane above IS-controlled territory and is
still missing.

US downs Syrian jetSyrian Army Puts Pressure on ISIS in All Directions

The
attack on ISIS targets is of course legal as Iran is a member of the
Syrian led anti-terrorist coalition which includes Russia. The attack
also came as the Iranian and Chinese navies were conducting joint
military drills in the Persian Gulf.

Iran
clearly wanted to send a strong message that US, Israel and Saudi
intimidation would not deter Iran from exercising its legal right to
self-defence along with its regional allies.

Iran’s
Perss TV has released this amateur video from Syria showing the
moment Iranian missiles hit their targets